NOOOO!!!! Bike won't start =(

[Smash]

Hello, I was riding my bike pretty hard a week ago and it started to chug and lose power until it died on me. Luckly I was next to a gas station and pushed it over there. It would not start so I left it for 30 mins while I ate figuring it overheated. When I came back it fired right up and I rode a few blocks and the same thing happened again so I pushed it the rest of the way home. Now its sitting in my back yard and it won't start up. When I push the start button it seems like it did before (makes the starter noise) but the engine rarely seems to crank. My battery has such a weak charge that when I push the starter it only tries once and stops. The guy I bought it from said it had a bad battery so I'm planning on getting a new one and some spark plugs since they seem very old. Should this solve the problem or does it seem like something more sinister? Also how can I keep my bike cool? Oil level seems alright. Oh yeah, and I'm still a real big newbie, how do I get this damn thing on the centerstand? Thanks!

[jwyler]

Sounds like you may have answered your own question -- the battery's dead.  You can try recharging it with a battery charger and add water to the battery if necessary.  I suppose this wouldn't have caused it to die while you were ridding, but like you said, check out the spark plugs.

[Adam R]

To get the bike on the centerstand you want to step on the pedal on the right side of the bike as you gently pull up and back on the handlebars.  If you continually have problems (it takes a little while to learn the motion) then you can:

a) have a friend help

b) install a GSXR 750 rear shock - with the taller rear end the bike practically sits itself up on the center stand.



Adam

[GRU]

did you check the small, easy things like if you have gas in the tank? the other thing is, you need a new battery if your battery only spins the starter once and dies....

if you have alot of gas in the tank, check the spark plugs to see if they are working

[Anonymous]

I'd say you have a dead battery AND a clogged fuel filter.  I've seen it happen many times, like you're running out of gas, after a while (1/2 hour or so) it will start up again and run for a a bit then die agan.

[Smash]

Thanks for all the advice, I got a new battery and a fresh set of spark plugs. My bike fired up after a few tries, so I drove around and it died again. Then my dumb ass realized my gas was way too low. Now it runs like a monster again, and I'm stoked cause I just got a corbin seat (mine had way too many tears in it), progressive springs, and katana shock. Can't wait to ride next weekend.

[GRU]

80% of the time something like that happens, the answer is ....... fuel

[yamahonkawazuki]

up on centrestand. (myway) grab subframe with left hand and handle at rear with right hand, step down on centrestand with left foot, while pulling up and to the rear